As 2020 Cybersecurity Awareness Month kicks off Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Prof. Umar Danbatta has charged Nigerians to be cybersecurity-conscious to guarantee online safety for Internet users.
According to him cybersecurity is everyone’s business and not reserved for a group of people.
Danbatta stated this to herald commencement of a series of enlightenment and awareness campaign activities to be embarked upon by the Commission for this year’s National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM).
The month of October every year is NCSAM globally, aimed at raising awareness about cybersecurity, and to provide the public with general knowledge and tools required for online safety.
He said Internet users across mobile networks in Nigeria currently stand at 149.8 million as at August, 2020, noting that more users are expected online as services in different sectors of the economy are becoming digitalised.
According to Danbatta, as the Commission embarks on various policy initiatives to drive pervasive broadband penetration to achieve increased digital inclusiveness, it is not unmindful of those who use Internet to carry out nefarious and dubious activities in the cyber space.
“To keep the genuine individual and corporate Internet users safe, the NCC, as regulator of the telecom sector, annually joins the rest of the world to create a lot of enlightenment around cybercrime in the month of October every year. We ensure that consumers are empowered through awareness and sensitisation campaigns, by providing information on both the positive and negative potentials available online, and measures required to safeguard themselves and their loved ones,” the EVC said.
Danbatta in a statement signed by the Director, Public Affairs Dr Ikechukwu Adinde at the weekend restated the commitment of the Commission to continually embark on policy initiatives to enhance online security as well as educate and equip the consumers of telecoms services with information they need to be protected online.
